(Photo: Samantha Jewell)
What brought you to Regis University?
I was brought to Regis because through a unique circumstance; the nuclear weapons plant that I was working for closed its doors forever. In the nuclear weapons program, ours was the first weapons site to ever close down. Having forewarning of the shutdown, I went back to school to further my education and started job searching. I kept contact with my fellow coworkers who had already left the site, and a few were working as Campus Safety Officers at Regis University. Curiosity set in and I decided to visit the campus. I had discussions with a few officers, and went the university’s website and found out about the culture. I liked what I heard and read about Regis, and when a position in Campus Safety became available I applied and was subsequently accepted. I left the weapons site on October 31, 2005, and started as a supervisor for Regis Campus Safety on November 1, 2005.
What did you do before coming to Regis University?
After high school, I joined the United States Marine Corps for four years as an infantryman in a weapons platoon. After the Marines, I applied for a job and needed a security clearance. While waiting for my Security Clearance to be researched and completed (it took 18 months!) I worked roofing construction. When my clearance finally came through I went to work as a Security Po-lice Officer at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Site in Golden Colorado. For the next 20 years my roles changed from time to time; As a SPO I worked guard posts, drove patrol vehicles, and conducted foot patrols. Later I became a member of the Special Response Team (SRT), which is the Department of Energy’s equivalent to law enforcement’s SWAT team. On the SRT my roles were rappel master, point man, sniper, assaulter, trained as an explosive breeches, team leader, and eventually the project manager for all four of the SRT teams. I ended up my career as a shift captain.
What has been your fondest memory of Regis?
When I realized that safety and security at Regis is so much more than I had first perceived. At first, I was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, which really didn’t work and frustrated me. Fortunately, thanks to Regis being patient and true to its mission, I was able to see that I was a resource for students in which every contact was an opportunity to teach, learn, and create relationships. This is also true for staff and faculty. We truly are a community!
What has been your fondest memory as a Campus Safety Officer?
There is not one situation that stands out, but what I found to be the best circumstance as a Campus Safety Officer is that the job is not static. I have been able to expand my knowledge in the areas of threat assessment, Clery Act (federally mandated law for universities), local, state and federal laws, active shooter mass notification systems, implementing and writing policies and procedures, being involved in the department's technology such as the call boxes, radios, burglar / duress alarms, camera system, emergency phones, and emergency operations are just a few opportunities that were made available to me. Of course, I could not have achieved any of these things without the support and collaboration of the Regis community.
Is there anything else you would like the Regis community to know?
I would like to tell the community that we, the men and women of the Department of Campus Safety, are there for them. As our department continues to grow and expand we look forward to serving the needs of the Regis community. Take advantage of our resources that we offer, for example ALICE training which is the Active Shooter Training that the university backs, along with the City and County of Denver, Denver Police Department, Homeland Security, FEMA, and the FBI. To date, we have trained about 350 staff, students, and faculty in the ALICE Pro-gram. Contact our office to schedule training! It is informative and even challenging. Finally, reach out to our department for safety issues, as well as security issues we are here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Samantha Jewell Social Media Editor